Why is my student's bus late?

Weather, traffic, driver absenteeism, maintenance difficulties, and unforeseen incidents are responsible for delays in the arrival of school buses in the morning and afternoon.

Sometimes the bus routes must be doubled out or run as a second load to or from the school due to the regular driver being absent.

Traffic in the metro-Atlanta area is increasingly complex.

Drivers check buses before their routes and sometimes find mechanical problems that can cause delays and require driving another bus for that day. This can cause the bus to be unpunctual.

Please know that we are doing everything humanly possible to have all buses running on schedule everyday.
In the event that your bus does not arrive as scheduled, please allow ten to thirty minutes before calling
the transportation office or the school. Top of page

What do I do when my student needs to ride a different bus/get off at a different stop?

Complete the bus pass, found here, and submit to your student's bus driver. Any transportation changes should be requested in writing
and submitted to the bus driver. Top of page

Why did you suspend my student from riding the bus?

Behavioral expectations on the school bus are much like those in the classroom.
Then, factor in the mobility of that "classroom" and traffic, added noise and the size of the
"classroom" and you have a potential catastrophe if there are not clear expectations and enforcement.
The behavioral expectations on the bus revolve around the individual rights of every person on the bus,
including the driver and the collective rights of students and driver as it pertains to SAFETY. Anything
that jeopardizes the safety of individuals on the bus is viewed as serious.

Most drivers have bus rules or expectations posted on the bus.
When there is an infraction, a referral is turned into the school administrators, who are responsible for contacting the student and parent to solve
the lack of compliance with bus expectations. The school administrator is solely responsible for
consequences based on the incident as described by the driver and student. Most buses have video cameras,
which are used to verify incidents. Our goal is never to deny any student transportation to and from school,
but we must maintain safety for all students. Top of page

Why can't you call when you know the bus will be late?

There are as many 50-70 students on each bus. That is at least 50-70 phone calls in a short time frame to parents who are quite possibly at the
bus stop with their student. It is just not feasible. Please know that there is a bus on the way and that we will do everything humanly possible to transport your
student to and from school in a timely manner every day. If your scheduled bus is more than ten minutes late, please allow for the time that it requires for the
route to be driven as a second load. Top of page

Why can't you come further into my sub-division?

School buses come in various sizes ranging from 25 to 36 feet long, 20,000-26,000 pounds,
12-13 feet high and 6-9 feet wide. The length is what limits the school bus to be
maneuvered in cul-de-sacs and tight places. Smaller buses can turn in a shorter radius, while
longer buses cannot maneuver the same circle without backing the bus, which is
avoided in routing if possible. Residents sometimes park trucks, boats, and trailers on the streets.
Studentren leave their bicycles, skateboards, and basketball backboards on the streets.
Although our drivers are trained to be able to parallel park their buses, some sub-divisions are not
designed with school bus transportation in mind. Please know that we will design school bus
routes to be safe and convenient to the majority of students within the limits of time and physics. Top of page

Why does my student have a seat assignment?

Seat assignments are a positive way for the ride to be consistent and safe. It is also our
policy for elementary and middle school students to be assigned to a specific seat.
This aids the driver with discipline and learning each student's names at the beginning of the
school year. We trust our drivers to let us know when this policy is no longer effective. Top of page

Why can't my student get off wherever they want in the afternoon?

To avoid multiple problems, the driver requires a note or bus pass, signed by the parent and school administrator
to alter the destination of students. This allows the drivers to focus on driving and safety instead
of having to decide whether the student should be allowed to change their routine and get off with a friend
or ride to an entirely different neighborhood. This should be the decision of the parent. The driver
has no other way to verify that the parent has made this decision. This policy avoids confusion
and the chance of students getting lost or running away. Top of page

How do you decide when it is too dangerous for school buses to transport students to school due to inclement weather? Who decides? How is the public notified?

The Superintendent of schools is responsible for the final decision to close schools due to inclement weather.
The decision is made after administrative staff report from various positions in the county regarding road conditions.
Other factors considered are school facility information (heat, water, power), school parking lot conditions,
temperature and wind chill, snow and ice build up on main and secondary roads and weather forecasts and predictions.
A decision will be made and the public will be notified by 5:30 AM. The
district provides text messaging alerts (text CCSD to 84700 to subscribe), posts closings on its website, on
Twitter and the following media sites will carry that information to the public:

If schools close during the day, the students will be sent home on their regular bus or daycare van unless other directions are on file at the
student's school. IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCEPT PHONED IN INSTRUCTIONS THAT DAY UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES. Please ensure you have given your
student's school written instructions in advance regarding inclement weather transportation. Top of page

Why are there only 30 students riding some buses and my student's bus is crowded?

Decisions regarding each bus route are made by careful planning based on information from the school registration, previous similar routes, and Department of Transportation data. Most routes are fixed during the summer months and changes
are made after the first two weeks of school, if not sooner. The more current information we are given, the better decisions regarding specific routes we can make. Distance from school, number of buses and drivers, and grouping of students and neighborhoods are
factors considered also. Sometimes it is just not possible to have the exact number of students on every run. State and National guidelines allow for up to 20% over capacity seating. Our guidelines are as follows: Top of page

Our Passenger Seating Guidelines

Bus Seat Capacity

Grades K-5

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12

6672

6671

4952

4447

What is a zero tolerance policy?

Zero Tolerance means that when a discipline infraction occurs under the policy, the student is subject to a mandated
suspension with NO exceptions. Specific zero tolerance infractions, which include drug, weapons, alcohol, tobacco,
and bullying, and the suspension designated for each offence are listed in the Cobb County School District
policy manual. This information is also available in local school handbooks, student folders, and the district web site at
www.cobbk12.org. Top of page

How do I find out my student's bus number?

Click here to access our
online webquery by entering in your address. Ocassionally, a
substitute bus may be utilized; thus the bus number will be
different. Top of page

How do I find out where the bus stop is and at what time students should be at the bus stop?

Click here to access our online webquery by entering your address to
view morning and afternoon pick up/drop off times. All students should be at their designated bus stop five minutes prior to their
pick up time. Top of page

How do I find out who my student's bus driver's Field Coordinator and/or Supervisor is?

Click here to view our staff information and view who is assigned to your student's school. Top of page

Can my student get off the bus without a parent/guardian/designee there to meet them? What happens if I am not there to meet the bus?

Students 8 years old and younger may be brought back to their school in the afternoon if a parent, guardian or
parent/guardian designee is not present at the bus stop to receive them or if they otherwise appear to have no appropriate supervision.
This is in accordance with the Department of Family and Children Services Guidelines for safety and supervision of children. Top of page

What are the laws that apply to drivers/citizens in relation to school buses?

Some of the laws governing school buses can be found here or consult the official Georgia Code located
here. Top of page

Special Needs Transportation

How can I receive transportation for my special needs student?

A committee of people already involved in a student's education determines transportation needs. After it has
been determined that the student would benefit from being transported apart from the mainstreamed students,
the teacher will complete and send a special needs transportation request to our office for processing. Top of page

How long does it take to set up transportation for my special needs student?

Three to five (3-5) days are needed to obtain all emergency information, process routing information, contact drivers and
communicate with parents and other professionals involved. Top of page

What is the average time length of the ride for special needs students?

Our goal, for students within the Cobb County district, is no more than one hour. Top of page

Why can't last minute changes be granted?

SAFETY is our main goal and concern. Changes may be granted for consistent schedules within the student's regular route. Top of page

Special needs transportation is granted in accordance with a student's needs as a related service to the IEP
(Individualized Education Plan). Students who receive an education without an IEP are provided transportation through conventional means. Top of page

Can I reach someone in the Transportation Department before 8 AM?

Yes, our Dispatcher is available from 6 AM to 9:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 5:00 PM by phone at 770-429-5882. Top of page